2 Timothy 3:14-4:5 (NRSV)
Read 2 Timothy 3:14-4:5 on biblegateway.com
Verse 14But as for you, continue in what you have learned and firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it, Verse 15and how from childhood you have known the sacred writings that are able to instruct you for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. Verse 16All scripture is inspired by God and is useful for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, Verse 17so that everyone who belongs to God may be proficient, equipped for every good work.
Chapter 4In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and in view of his appearing and his kingdom, I solemnly urge you: Verse 2proclaim the message; be persistent whether the time is favorable or unfavorable; convince, rebuke, and encourage, with the utmost patience in teaching. Verse 3For the time is coming when people will not put up with sound doctrine, but having itching ears, they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own desires, Verse 4and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander away to myths. Verse 5As for you, always be sober, endure suffering, do the work of an evangelist, carry out your ministry fully.
Devotion
Each time one of my favorite hymns, “For All the Faithful Women,” (ELW 419) is sung in worship or prayer group, I am reminded of the faithful women who guided my early Christian education, and with some of whom I would be blessed to serve during the final years of their earthly journey. Whenever I lose courage, strength, or energy living a faithful life fraught with the challenges of my own aging, I remember the example of how their daily lives reflected faith and faithfulness. They lived in the presence and hope of God’s promises.
The people and places that have formed us also inform us. All become a part of our faith foundation and our lives reflect to others what we have learned as we honor those who taught us, keeping their teachings alive through our daily lives, our thoughts, words, and deeds and by passing them on to future generations.
Prayer
Gracious and loving God, we give thanks for all your saints, those who have come before us, and those who live among us still. May our lives reflect the light and love of their faithfulness. Amen.
Interested in digging deeper into today’s text?
Read more here.